July 25, 2016

We’re all winners in Sting and Peter Gabriel’s musical version of Rock Paper Scissors. It’s the name of their tour, though the two British icons didn’t actually play the game during Sunday’s stop at Rexall Place. They did, however, share the stage for almost three hours - taking turns playing songs from their catalogues, sometimes even covering each other’s tunes - with the help of their respective bands. What a fabulous and refreshing way to shake up the usual concert routine...

July 24, 2016

It was a fairly easy transition to make. Almost like going from one excellent Calgary Folk Music Festival workshop on Prince’s Island to another, perhaps larger, and more star-studded one over the bridge and a several blocks down the street. In fact, it was exactly like that. And quite honestly one of the most memorable and magical four-hour runs of live music that one could ever hope to experience...

July 22, 2016

The Peter Gabriel/Sting “Rock Paper Scissors” tour that came to KeyArena on July 21 was an unusual concert. The idea was to merge their bands and songs, and even have each artist sing a few of the other’s hits. In the end, it offered a lot of bang for the buck, and a two-song guest spot by a Seattle legend...

July 18, 2016

Early in their respective careers, Sting and Peter Gabriel seemed to come from parallel universes. Gabriel first gained fame fronting arty and oh-so-serious progressive rock band Genesis, while Sting led the bleach-blond, effervescent ska-pop trio the Police...

July 16, 2016

Nostalgia reigns at Lake Tahoe, the scenic and romantic destination resort spot on the California-Nevada border. Sometimes the entertainment here can be more about great memories and less an ethereal thrill of witnessing something superb, unique and contemporary. There was the fat Elvis in 1976 and a raspy Bob Dylan in 2009. However, Peter Gabriel and Sting performed together in Stateline on Friday night in a show that left an everlasting impression on all 7,000 who attended. It was a thrill.

July 15, 2016

Sting and Peter Gabriel played Rock Paper Scissors. And guess who came out on top? It was the fans. The two Rock and Roll Hall of Famers delivered nearly three hours of classic material when they brought their Rock Paper Scissors North American Tour to the SAP Center in San Jose on Thursday... This was not a case where two headliner-caliber artists played two distinct sets, separated, of course, by a 30-minute break so fans can go drop more money on beer and T-shirts...

July 13, 2016

Early in Sting and Peter Gabriel’s Pepsi Center show, which was part of their Rock Paper Scissors tour, Gabriel told the audience that the set would be “a little like karaoke night in Denver.” Gabriel’s band, dressed in black with red stripes on parts of their clothing, was the red team while Sting’s band was the blue team. “You can hold out your scores, but we’re going to ignore them, because we’re going to carry on anyway,” Gabriel said...

July 10, 2016

Peter Gabriel and Sting may be longtime friends. But co-headlining Summerfest's closing night Sunday at the Marcus Amphitheater, Gabriel kiddingly implied they were enemies. "We have in fact the red team and the blue team," Gabriel said, joking that the audience had color-coded score cards they could hold up to award each headliner points...